The Indian government allowed a limited reopening of shops in neighborhoods and residential areas from Saturday, more than a month after the nation went into a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, officials said.
Health workers wearing protective gear walk on a railway track as they arrive in a slum area for a door-to-door verification of people to find out if they have developed any of the coronavirus disease symptoms, in Kolkata, India, April 24, 2020. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
The sale of liquor and other non-essential items will continue to be prohibited, and no shops in large market places, multi-brand and single-brand malls will be allowed to open for business till May 3. In neighboring Pakistan, the government extended the nationwide lockdown till May 9. However, it is switching to a so-called “smart lockdown” from Saturday for targeted tracking and tracing of cases while allowing some industrial and commercial activities to begin under safety guidelines.
“This upcoming month of Ramadan will be decisive,” he said, emphasizing that adhering to the government’s virus containment measures will enable the further re-starting of parts of the economy.
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